Richard is the Chairman and President of Mindshare Technologies. Mindshare provides survey and analysis tools that capture customer feedback on a daily basis and immediately transforms that feedback into actionable customer intelligence. The company captures over 65,000 surveys a day, serving clients in over 25 industries. Mindshare’s client objective is “Operations Improvement through Customer Involvement.”
Rich has been a senior executive of several Fortune 500 companies as well as several start-up ventures. His experience spans multiple industries and disciplines, including many years as an adjunct university professor and as an executive consultant.
He was an EVP and Corporate Officer at Marriott International, where he led the marketing strategy, sales, distribution, and revenue management efforts for Marriott's 13 lodging brands and $18 billion in system-wide sales. Most notably, Rich was named “The Leading Sales Innovator in the Lodging Industry,” and Marriott’s sales team was rated one of the top 25 in the U.S. for 4 years under his leadership. Rich also led Marriott onto the Internet, prompting Bill Gates to refer to him as an "important Internet champion" in his book Business @ the Speed of Thought. Earlier in his career, Rich was called the “Leader of Hotel Revenue Management and Strategy” for his leadership in hotel pricing and yield management.
Rich previously spent several years at PepsiCo's Frito-Lay Division in Strategic Planning, and with Price Waterhouse as a CPA and Management Consultant. He was CEO of BlueStep, a software start-up, which grew to include 8 branded products and $4 million in annualized sales, prior to it being acquired in 2002. He was also the Chief Operating Officer for the $110 million Practice Management division of Henry Schein, and the interim head of Marketing and Strategy for USDTV, Inc., an over-the-air digital TV service provider, as it progressed from start-up to product launch. He was nominated for Utah Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001, 2007, and 2008.
He is an author and frequent teacher/speaker at trade, academic and professional gatherings, and is often quoted in top business journals and trade publications. He is the author of the widely-acclaimed book “Delivering and Measuring Customer Service, 2nd Edition.” (Stephen R. Covey called his book, “the finest book on customer service I’ve ever read.”) An active participant on various boards of corporations, universities, and foundations, Hanks was an adjunct professor at Cornell University for 10 years and on the Board of the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and his MBA from Northwestern University.
Rich and his wife, Liz, raised their children in Texas, Maryland, and Utah. They have three grown children and reside in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is active in his faith, serving at various times as a missionary, youth leader, and Bishop (lay minister) of a congregation. Rich loves being with his family and in his spare time enjoys basketball and woodworking.
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- Board of Directors (Chair), Mindshare Technologies, 02-present
- Board of Directors, Arcus Financial, 07-09
- Board of Directors (Chair), MyAssociation, Inc., 00-02
- Board of Advisors, Manugistics, Inc., 99-05
- Executive Committee and Board, Utah Information Technology Association, 00-03
- Board of Trustees, Ouelessebougou-Utah Alliance, 01-present
- Board of Directors, MDH/MCH Foundation, 98-present
- Board of Trustees, Institute of Business Travel Management, 98-00
- Board of Advisors, Digital IQ Magazine, 02-03
- Editorial Board, Business Travel News, 98-99
- Board of Directors, "Center for Hospitality Research" - Cornell University, 95-97
- Adjunct Professor (authored and taught a 40-hour course for ten years) - Cornell University, 92-02
- Alumni Board Member - Brigham Young University, Grad School of Management, 93-97
- Admissions member, Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School, 86-93
- Commercialization Advisory Board, University of Utah, 07 - present
- Visiting Lecturer – numerous Universities and Colleges
- “Utah Entrepreneur of the Year,” Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award; Finalist: 2007, 2008 (Mindshare), Nominated: 2001 (MyAssociation.com)
- Mindshare named one of the “Top 25 under 5” companies, 2006, 2007
- Blue Step, Inc. awarded one of “15 Emerging Elite” and one of “Top 25 under 5” companies, 2001
- Presented “2000 Red Wagon Award” by Utah Commission on Volunteers (1st time for a for-profit tech corp.)
- Described by Bill Gates as an “Important Internet Champion” in his book, Business @ the Speed of Thought.
- Named “The Leading Sales Innovator in the Lodging Industry,” American Express/Cornell Survey, 1999
- Marriott Sales named one of “Top 25 in USA,” Sales and Marketing Management - four years: 97 thru 00.
- Called “The Leader in Hotel Revenue Management and Strategy,” Scorecard, 93
- Named “Best Dad in the World” by Emily, Daniel, and Katherine Hanks on Father’s Day
